


Let My Spirits Carry Me

by secondalto



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, The Author Regrets Nothing, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 13:32:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2430647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secondalto/pseuds/secondalto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The serum gave Steve something other than a bigger and better body.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I can't remember what gave me the idea for this but I really though Steve with wings was an awesome idea.
> 
> Thanks to Rainne for doing what she does best and making this a better fic.

Doctor Erskine had told Steve some of what to expect from the upcoming experiment. He would likely step out of the machine with a better body, a much bigger body. If he survived the process. That part was still very iffy. But Steve was resolute in his decision to go through with this. If it meant that he died, well, he was mostly okay with that. Bucky would curse him to hell and back, but Steve had left a letter for Buck just in case.

If Steve was going to be truthful, Bucky was about half the reason he was going through with this whole thing anyway. Yes, he wanted to do his part and be able to go and fight like every other guy he knew; but he also wanted to be where Bucky was. They were more than just friends. Neither of them had said anything when Bucky left but the lingering goodbye hug and the gentle teasing had said everything they needed to say.

So when the two halves of the machine closed in around him, Steve sent a prayer to God and the Holy Mother and anyone else who might be listening that he’d make it through the experiment so he could see Bucky again. The pain was unbearable and he couldn’t help the screams that were torn from his throat. But he managed to shout to Peggy – who he’d heard yelling to stop the process – that he could do this.

He felt every stretch of bone and muscle, every molecule of his body straining to turn him into the perfect soldier. The worst pain was from his back. He imagined his spine lengthening and shoulders shifting outward. There was final moment of blinding pain and then nothing. Except for something tickling at his nose. He twitched it and it went away.

He could hear – out of both ears! – the whining of the machine tilting back up and opening. He took in a breath, one that didn’t rattle his lungs and ache through all of his ribs. He was floating with the feeling of no pain anywhere for the first time in his life. He heard a collective gasp of breath as two sets of arms grabbed him from either side and helped him out. Steve finally opened his eyes when he was steady on his feet. Peggy was staring at him.

“What?” he asked.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it again. She reached out and he thought at first she was going to touch his chest, with all of its new muscles. Instead her hand went out to just beyond his left shoulder blade. She should have been touching nothing, but Steve felt the sensation of her fingers smoothing over… something. He turned his head to look.

Peggy’s fingers were touching light grey feathers. Feathers that were part of wings. Wings that were his, sprouting from his shoulders and anchored along his back. They were cream colored, turning into greys and light blues at the edges. Steve flexed and they spread out. He estimated the wing span at over six feet. He wondered if, given enough space, he would be able to fly.

But there was no time to wonder when the shot rang out and Doctor Erskine fell to the floor. Steve was after the assassin in an instant, folding his wings back up and grabbing a shirt from the nurse who had still been holding it. The man killed himself after a drawn out chase and Steve soon found himself back in the lab. There he discovered that they were not going to send him to Europe to fight.

The new wrinkle meant all he was going to do was go on tour with show girls to promote war bonds and keep up morale around the country. They even designed him a costume that would hide the wings. And he had a name: Captain America. Steve knew it was useless to try and protest. It wasn’t like he could just go back to Brooklyn and pretend nothing had happened. He had wings now. WINGS. So, he went. But he was not happy about it.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The girls, women really, were wonderful and understanding. Betty altered his costume so that his wings weren’t as squashed underneath it. They folded in on themselves, almost into a small square, but after hours of being strapped under cloth it felt wonderful to stretch them out. Vera had home-made liniment to ease the aches. Mavis and Dottie each took one side of him in the evenings and inspected the wings. They fluffed the feathers and checked them for damage. Steve blushed clear down to his nipples the first time he took his shirt off in front of all of them, but he got used to it, mostly.

When they got to farm country, Steve got the idea that he might try to fly. The girls persuaded the bus driver to pull over by a cornfield in the middle of Nebraska. Steve shucked his shirt by the time he clambered off the bus, his wings unfolding the moment he cleared the door. He breathed in the fresh air, savored the feeling of doing it without aching, wheezing or coughing. He stepped away from the bus, away from the girls as they emerged from the bus.

Steve flexed and the wings moved, stirring the dust and dirt around his feet. A little more effort and he was hovering just above the ground. He took a breath and really gave a flap, launching himself into the sky. Steve caught a thermal and he was soaring above the stalks, grinning from ear to ear. The girls laughed and pointed at him, yelling for him to come back. He glided low, grabbing Lillian under the arms and hauling her into the air with him. She shrieked and wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging close to him, but smiling the entire time. When he landed, she swatted at him.

“I oughta tan your hide, Steve Rogers!”

“Sorry, Lil,” he laughed. “Just wanted to see if I could do it.”

The other girls all clamored for a turn and he gave in. All too soon they are bundled back onto the bus, on their way to the next stop. But from now on, whenever they came to an out of the way spot, they stopped and let Steve fly.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The show was sent to Europe. They took a ship out there and Steve breathed in the salt air. He wanted desperately to fly over the waves, but with enemy ships both in the air and under the sea, he couldn’t take the chance. He settled for going up on deck every morning and spreading his wings out, letting the air rush through them. The audiences overseas weren’t as kind as the ones back home.

It was in Italy that he ran into Peggy again. She caught him doodling monkeys in costumes. She sympathized with him. When the wounded men came in, she told him they were a part of the 107th, Bucky’s company. Peggy was there when Steve confronted Phillips about Bucky. She was there when he was scrambling in his tent, half-forming a plan.

“Steve, you can’t fly out there, you’ll be killed and then what good would you be to James?”

“Peg, I can’t leave him there,” he said.

“I’ve got a way for you to get there.”

Howard’s tiny plane was nearly as bad as if Steve had used his wings. When they reached the target, Steve gave Howard a look when the engineer offered him a parachute. Instead, Steve tugged at the coat, maneuvering his wings out through the hidden slits that Betty had put there in case of emergency. He soared out over the factory, surprising the guards at the doors. He took a minute or two to wriggle his wings back through the slits and under the jacket – a move he’d practiced with Marie timing him and Betty scrutinizing every movement in case she needed to make alterations.

He crept through the factory, disabling and disarming guards along the way. He found most of the rest of the 107th, but he couldn’t see Bucky anywhere. One of the men told him Bucky had been taken away deeper into the factory. He went, stalking halls and rooms. As Steve turned down one hall, he saw a tiny man with glasses sneaking away. Steve went to the room the man had come from. Bucky was there, strapped to a table. Steve went about freeing him.

“Steve?”

“It’s me, Bucky. I thought you were dead.”

“I thought you were smaller.” Steve smothered a grin. Trust Bucky to crack wise at a time like this. Steve took one quick look at the map on the wall and then helped drag Bucky out of the room and back towards the entrance. Bucky was asking him questions, and Steve wondered why it mattered if what was done to him was permanent or not.

They encountered Schmidt. Steve shuddered when he saw what the serum had done to the other man. He was glad Erskine had told him about Schmidt. Then the other men got away and the factory was slowly coming down around them. They came to a way out, but it was across a tiny support beam that didn’t look too stable.

“We can find another way,” Bucky insisted.

Steve grinned, wiggling his body again. Bucky stared at him. “Take this,” Steve said, handing him the small shield Steve had grabbed from the girls’ dressing area. Bucky took it. Then Steve manhandled Bucky so that Bucky was holding onto him.

“Steve, what the hell are you trying to do?” Bucky asked.

“Just watch, jerk.” Steve’s wings unfurled then and Bucky gaped.

“What the hell did they do to you, Stevie?”

Steve didn’t answer, instead he flapped his wings and took them across the rest of the factory, landing them just at the door. He didn’t have time to put his wings away as they exited into the cold Austrian night. If any of the other men saw them, they said nothing.

The march back to base took a few days and Steve was able to explain to Bucky what he’d gone through. He was telling Bucky about Project Rebirth while they lay together on the outskirts of the group.

“I should murder you,” Bucky said. “Why the hell would you do something like that? You could have been killed.”

“I wanted to fight, Buck. And they only way I could was if I survived the procedure. The wings are… an unexpected bonus.”

“Bonus my ass,” Bucky muttered. “Think you’re a bird now. Gonna spend the rest of the war diving bombing Nazis?”

“Bucky,” Steve whined. “I needed to find you.”

“Found me, didn’t ya? Now what?”

“Gonna do what I shoulda ‘fore you left.” It was dark enough and most of the men were asleep. Steve rolled over and kissed Bucky. Bucky didn’t respond at first, but then he was grabbing onto Steve, kissing him back. Steve sighed into the kiss. No more words were said.

*~*~*~*~*

There was a stop in England after everything, and Steve was given his own unit to command. The Howling Commandos were soon picking off HYDRA bases, but there was no sign of Schmidt or the tiny scientist anywhere. Steve still didn’t get to fly much. Howard had, however, made him a better shield and improved the costume. Bucky immediately got ideas. Most of which Steve let him follow through on.

When they found themselves in the Alps, overlooking train tracks, Steve was happy he was getting to use his wings. The others would have to use a zip line.

“Don’t look so smug over there, Birdie,” Bucky said.

“You’re just jealous,” Steve replied, smothering the urge to stick out his tongue. Instead he flexed his wings, holding his shield tightly in one hand. “There it is,” he said as the train came around the corner. He was off, winging down towards it. Vaguely he could hear Bucky zipping down behind him. Steve immediately folded his wings up when he landed, but kept them out. It didn’t matter if anyone from HYDRA saw them, they all would be dead soon. They were separated and attacked the moment they climbed down into the cars.

The soldier was firing weapons Steve hadn’t seen before. He had to help Bucky out and he was half tempted to run his hands all over Bucky to make sure he wasn’t hurt. But the soldier came again and Steve tried to deflect the shot with his shield but was thrown against the side of the train. He was momentarily stunned. When he looked up again there was a giant hole in the side of the train, his shield was on the floor and Bucky was nowhere to be found. Steve dispatched the soldier quickly. He caught a sound that was clipped off by the air rushing past the hole. Bucky’s voice.

Steve approached the hole and glanced out. He saw Bucky dangling from a railing, barely hanging on.

“Give me your hand,” Steve shouted.

Bucky tried to reach, tried to stretch. So did Steve. The railing gave. Bucky fell. Steve didn’t hesitate and dove right out of the train, wings folded out and pinned flat against him as he headed for Bucky like an arrow to a bulls eye. He ignored the feel of the air, the sting of the blowing snow, focusing just on Bucky. Bucky’s face was a combination of awe, fear and anger as Steve reached him. He grabbed Bucky, both of them flailing wildly as they tumble together for several seconds. Then Bucky was wrapped around Steve as Steve’s wings extended and fought against their momentum. Soon they were back inside the train car, Bucky was still clinging onto Steve, who was breathing hard.

“Fuck, Buck, that was close,” Steve finally managed to say.

“Close? What the fuck were you thinking?” Bucky yelled, shoving himself away from Steve. “Why would you go and do a fool thing like jumping out of moving train!”

“I was trying to save you!” Steve shouted back.

“Why?” Bucky asked, shaking with anger and fear as he began to pace the small car.

“Because I love you, you dumb jerk!” Steve yelled back, his shoulders shaking, making stray feathers fall softly to the ground.

“Well I love you, too, punk! But that doesn’t mean you keep jumping out of or off of things just because you have wings!” Bucky replied.

There was a moment of breathless silence as the both let the words they said sink in. Bucky stopped pacing and Steve turned a little pink around the ears, his wings twitching.

“You do?” Bucky finally whispered. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Steve mumbled. “Really. Why else would I have kissed you?”

Bucky stared. “You never said.”

“Wasn’t the right time. Didn’t think I could, should.”

“You always should,” Bucky said softly.

The drifted closer to each other. Bucky reached for Steve. Steve pulled him in close and they shared a soft and tender kiss just before Gabe poked his head in.

“You guys okay?” When they both nodded, Gabe continued. “Good, cause we got the scientist who was taking our guys back at the factory, the one who took you, Barnes. Name’s Zola.”

“I wanna have a word or two with him,” Bucky growled.

“Let’s both talk to him,” Steve suggested, face stern. Bucky agreed with a small nod and they followed Gabe through the train.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Zola was tied up and looking very nervous the moment Steve and Bucky stepped into the car with Gabe.

“I’m gonna go radio to make sure they’ve flipped the switch on the tracks ahead,” Gabe said. “Don’t want to end up further in enemy territory.”

“Go on,” Steve said. “We’ve got this.”

“Where are you taking me? What is going on?” Zola demanded.

Bucky slapped the tiny man across the face. “We’ll be asking the questions, shorty.”

“Sergeant Barnes wasn’t it?” Zola asked as he got a good look at Bucky. “James Buchanan, serial number…”

“I believe he said we were going to ask questions,” Steve interrupted, getting between the scientist and Bucky. His wings bristled and Zola’s gaze went immediately to them.

“Captain Rogers, I see that Erskine’s formula had unintended side-effects with you as well. It makes me wonder what might have happened to Sergeant Barnes.”

Bucky growled and started to push Steve out of the way. Steve held a hand out, keeping Bucky at bay as he stepped closer to Zola, spreading his wings just a little. Zola gulped and started to sweat.

“What did you do to Bucky?” he asked, his voice low and menacing.

“I… I…,” Zola stammered. “I was trying to recreate the serum. Trying to make soldiers for the war. The Sergeant was the first and only one to survive the injection.”

Steve took a step back in disgust. He could hear Bucky trying not to vomit behind him. “I should kill you. But there are people who have other questions for you, so I won’t,” he said. Instead he punched Zola square in the jaw, knocking him out.

The rest of the train ride was spent soothing Bucky, assuring him that he wasn’t a monster; that he wouldn’t turn out like Schmidt. When they were met by Phillips and other SSR members, Steve demanded that Zola would be imprisoned, tried for his crimes. He might have implied that he would go to the President if he needed to.

Then they made a plan to go after Schmidt.

*~**~~*~*

Getting into the HYDRA base wasn’t hard. Steve landed himself and Bucky square in the middle of everything only to be surrounded by soldiers. This was the part of the plan Bucky had hated.

“Goes against all my instincts, Stevie,” he’d said. “Can’t believe you want to be bait.”

“Come on, Buck. It’ll work. If it doesn’t, I’ll…” Steve leaned in and whispered something to Bucky that left the sergeant sputtering and going slightly red.

So, there they were, being hauled off to meet the Red Skull. He was as awful as the first time they’d met.

“Ah, Captain,” he said upon spying Steve’s wings. “It seems that you were hiding something after all. I suppose Doctor Erskine did not expect that… added effect.” Then Schmidt turned to Bucky. “I wonder what Zola’s take on the serum may have done to you Sergeant Barnes.”

“Why don’t you let me go and we’ll find out?” Bucky growled.

Schmidt shook his head. “I am afraid I am on a tight schedule,” he said, pulling out a weapon and aiming it at Steve.

“So are we,” Steve said as Dum Dum, Falsworth and Dernier crashed in through the window.

They fought and as Schmidt ran, Steve and Bucky followed. When the HYDRA leader launched a plane, Steve was right there ready to fly off and go after him. Bucky held him back a moment with a tug to his shield harness.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” he asked.

“Buck, I…” Steve tried to come up with something but the stubborn look on Bucky’s face meant that there really was no use in arguing. He gestured for Bucky to hold on and they both flew up into the skies and after the plane. They pried open a door on the side and clambered in. The ensuing fight was messy and the energy cube got loose.

After Schmidt took a hold of it, there was nothing Bucky and Steve could do but watch as it consumed him. When he was gone, they gathered themselves and found they couldn’t pull the plane out of its descent. Steve frowned, trying to think. He looked over at Bucky who was looking at him expectantly.

“What now, Steve?” he asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a cliffhanger!
> 
> If you want to know what happened if they got the plane, go to chapter two.
> 
> If you want to know what happened if they stayed on the the plane, go to chapter three.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened when they got off the plane

“Come on,” Steve said, moving swiftly but carefully back to the door they had left open. “I think we’re over Greenland. This thing is heading straight for the ocean. I think I can fly us to safety.”

“Are you sure, Steve?” Bucky asked, struggling to fight gravity as the plane continued to plummet to the ocean.

“Not really, but it’s got to be better than drowning. But no matter what, Buck, I’m with you til the end of the line.”

“I’d rather the end not be in Davy Jones’s locker, thanks.”

Steve laughed as they reached the open door. Bucky clung to him and he launched himself out of the plane. They hovered in the air for a moment, watching as the plane crashed into the water. Then Steve flapped his wings and they were off. They found a tiny spit of land where they huddled together for the night. In the early dawn they were spotted by a fisherman who took them to his tiny village. From there Steve made twice daily forays to see if there were rescue ships sent out.

On the fifth day he spotted one.

Howard Stark greeted them both with open arms. Peggy just cried. They sailed back home without much further fanfare. Two days after their return, all of the papers published a photo of Steve standing on the deck of the ship, wings extended, Bucky standing by his side.

WHAT HAPPENED TO CAPTAIN AMERICA? IS CAPTAIN AMERICA THE RESULT OF HYDRA EXPERIMENT?

A hastily put together press conference settled fears and explained what had happened. Steve and Bucky toured the country again, minus the chorus girls. It was during the tour that the effects of Zola’s serum manifest. They’d already figured out Bucky had strength and healing like Steve. They also both figured they might live much longer lives because of the healing. But one night, after the stop in Denver, Bucky was undressing and discovered he had a tail. A very prehensile tail similar to a chimpanzee. What they did with the tail was best left on the bus.

When the tour was over, they settled down in Brooklyn. Rumors persisted for years about a relationship between Steve and Peggy but those went away on the occasion of her wedding to Gabe.

Steve nervously adjusted his tie, looking down at all the ribbons on his uniform. He had his wings out, but tucked in tight, so as to not brush the walls of the ancient church. The door behind him opeeds and he turned to look. He must have had quite a look on his face because Peggy laughed.

“What?” he asked.

She put a hand to her heart, calming herself. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were gobsmacked.”

“Might just be,” he said with a grin. “I can still appreciate a beautiful woman, Peg. Gabe ain’t gonna know what hit him.”

“Yes, well, you look quite dapper yourself, Steven. I look forward to seeing the look on James’s face when we exit.”

“Peggy,” Steve sighed. He nodded absently when an altar boy whispered that it was time. He offered her his arm and she took it. He spoke again as they waited for the doors to open. “I know life isn’t going to be easy for you two. You ever need anything, _anything,_ give me or Buck a call.”

“We will, Steven. Maybe one day, this will happen for you and James.”

“Maybe,” Steve whispered as the doors opened and he guided her down the aisle.

He chanced a look at Bucky, who stared right back like Steve was the one in the dress. He gave Peggy a kiss on the cheek at the altar, stepped up next to Bucky and they discretely held hands as Margaret Carter married Gabriel Jones.

*~*~*~*~*~**

They worked with Howard and Peggy to help found SHIELD. Steve trained some of the recruits in strategy and tactics. Bucky helped with firearms. Occasionally they both got sent out to deal with tiny HYDRA offshoots. Bucky was sent out by himself but only if the target was really high value and after he’d talked about it with Steve.

They stayed out of the spotlight throughout the fifties, only briefly poking their heads out during the McCarthy hearings. They spoke out against the witch hunts and there was talk that they were going to be called up in front of the committee.

“Rogers, you can’t go down there and give him a piece of your mind!” Howard yelled.

“I’ve been trying to tell him that, but he just won’t listen,” Bucky said.

They were gathered at Howard’s estate in Sag Harbor for their weekly dinner and the conversation had of course turned to the McCarthy hearings.

“Why not?” Steve asked. “He’s a bully, Howard. You know how I feel about them.”

“Yes, but he’s always mentioning your name. I think he’d call you given half the chance. I keep making sizable donations to other senators’ campaign funds to keep that from happening,” Howard said.

Steve ignored what his friend had said. “I’d do it too. Give that McCarthy fellow my two cents.”

“More like ten dollars and two cents,” Bucky muttered.

Steve glared at him but was ignored as Howard got up from the table and went to the bar. He pulled out a large bottle.

“Let’s get to the real reason for this dinner,” he said.

“We always have dinner on Tuesdays,” Steve replied. Then he noticed that it was champagne that Howard had pulled out. He elbowed Bucky and Bucky took notice of the bottle.

“Shit, Stark, you’re gonna do it. Or did you already do it?”

“Do what?” Steve asked, looking at both Bucky and Howard in confusion.

“Ask Maria to marry him,” Bucky said. “’Bout damn time, too.” He looked to Howard, who had poured three glasses and was handing one to Steve. Bucky accepted his and waited for an answer.

“Tomorrow,” Howard said. “I’ve got a dinner planned and everything. If… when she says yes… would you… both of you…”

Steve came to his rescue. “We’ll stand up for you, Howard. It would be our honor.”

“Yes,” Bucky said. “Not like it’s the first wedding we’ve been a part of.”

“Thank you,” Howard replied. They clapped him on the back and toasted Maria, the most perfect woman in the world Howard could have found.

*~*~*~*~*~*

They were both there when young Anthony was born, both becoming his godfathers. Steve and Bucky both briefly talked about having kids, about maybe asking some woman they both knew (possibly Peggy) to carry a child for them. But they both dismissed it because they were scared of what effects the serum might have on any child.

Steve grew restless. Bucky suggested traveling. They did, subletting their apartment to a single mother and her three children. They went back around the country again. They saw all the famous battle sights, the Petrified Forest, Mount Rushmore. When they stopped at the Grand Canyon, Steve refused the traditional burro ride, choosing instead to have Bucky cling to him and fly down. They paid other tourists quite generously for pictures of it.

The sixties was the decade of reform and Steve and Bucky were right there at the forefront. . They landed in San Francisco during the height of the Haight-Ashbury scene. Steve took up art again. Bucky was a frequent subject. They both tried LSD and other drugs. They were making their way back to Brooklyn when Stonewall happened. They stood there with the other men and a few women, standing up for what they believed in. When the shoving and pushing started, Steve was right there, pushing the buttons of the cops. Bucky just rolled his eyes and stood right there next to him.

“Aren’t you…?” one cop asked.

“What if I am? It shouldn’t matter. You can’t just treat people that way. They are human beings.”

“Look, I’m just doing my job, Captain.”

Steve tightened his jaw and Bucky knew he wasn’t going to like this. “Then arrest me. I’m homosexual, I’ve frequented this club often. Arrest me.”

The cop seemed reluctant but Steve kept taunting him and eventually the cop shoved Steve. Who of course shoved right back. Then the handcuffs were out and Bucky whispered to another cop to slap cuffs on him too. They were taken away and Bucky at least had the prescence of mind to ask for a phone call. Howard tried to keep it out of the papers when he bailed them out, but Steve was having none of it. He was proud to have stood up for his fellow man, and woman.

They heard about a concert happening in upstate New York from a friend of a friend. Steve was a very vocal opponent of the current war – he knew better than to use the government’s weak words, police action. Men were dying in the mud half a world away, it was a war. Bucky drove the bike, Steve tucked behind him, his wings trailing behind them as they cruised the back roads. There was mud here too, created by thousands of feet trampling in the field. Steve had a full beard but it couldn’t disguise who he was.

“It’s the wings,” a girl said, trailing her hand over them as she sat next to them.

“Can’t exactly say I’m not who I am with them out,” Steve drawled, feeling very mellow after taking the pill she’d offered him. Marijuana did nothing to him, LSD gave him a slight buzz and hallucinations, but hashish was something he was definitely going to try again.

Bucky grinned wickedly at Steve before turning to the girl. “What was that?”

“Oh! It’s new,” she said, rummaging in her bag. “Doesn’t have a name yet. Want some?”

Steve grabbed Bucky, sucking a line of kisses down Bucky’s neck. “You taste like black,” Steve sighed.

Bucky peeled a fifty from a roll of bills he kept hidden in his boot. “I’ll take everything you have.”

They spent most of the concert in a drug-induced, sex-filled haze. But as the crowds deserted the field and Steve sobered up, they were the last two left. Steve offered their services to Mr. Yasgur to help with the clean-up. Of course he did.

*~*~*~*~*

There were other protests they joined. They had marched with Doctor King in ’63. They stood in front of the Supreme Court in ’73. They could have been arrested many times over. But Steve would bring out the uniform and stand out in front with other protesters and Bucky by his side. The symbol of what he fought for still stood for something. They received hundreds and thousands of letters, all from kids who thanked them for being role models, for speaking out, for being the heroes those kids sorely needed.

When Howard and Maria died in the early nineties, they were there for Tony. They helped him not spiral down into a drunken mess. They kept him together, helped him develop a vision for Stark Industries. They may have pushed him a little when he met Pepper Potts. Since both Steve and Bucky had shares in SI, they were technically on the board of directors, though until now they’d never had occasion to go to any meetings. Now they did, forcing Stane out and keeping him away from Tony.

When they saw the first plane hit the Twin Towers, Steve ran out of their apartment, heading right into danger. Bucky wasn’t far behind him. They were there, directing people out of harm’s way, digging under rubble and dust to find survivors. With their help, the death count was far lower than it could have been. And although they could have gone into battle, they chose to stay; to help the wounded, those left behind. When the so-called-war dragged on, Steve decided they should go to Dover Air Base when the first plane with the dead arrived. They were stopped by a very nervous airman at the gate.

“You don’t have clearance to be here, sir,” he stammered.

“Do you know who I am son?” Steve asked, shoulders tight. He could have flown here, but Bucky had cautioned him that the men on the base might have been the sort to shoot first.

“Of course, Captain,” he answered, sweat beading on his forehead.

Bucky leaned forward from the passenger seat. “Actually, he’s a general now. Four stars and everything. So you might want to think about letting us through.”

The young airman just nodded and reached inside his booth to press the button that let the barrier rise up. Steve nodded and Bucky saluted as they drove through. No one else said anything as they made their way to the hanger. They got out, Steve removing his coat to show off the costume and wings. They stood at attention as each coffin was brought out solemnly.

Their fourth trip out, Bucky’s attention was caught when a dog followed along, keeping both eyes on one flag draped box. It sat at the foot of the coffin when the bearers rested it on a bier. Bucky cast a look at Steve who ignored him for a good ten minutes before giving Bucky the barest of nods.

When the last coffin was off the plane and the last notes of Taps faded away, Bucky went off to find the person in charge. He returned ten minutes later, full of energy.

“That’s the handler,” he said, nodding to the coffin. “They were in charge of finding IEDs. Got shot on the way back from their regular patrol. They guy has a family, but they can’t take the dog.”

“Does it have a name?” Steve sighed.

Bucky’s eyes brightened and he grinned widely. “Her name is Meg.”

They left the base with Meg in the back seat.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When the call came about Tony’s disappearance in Afghanistan, they were the first ones out there, looking for him. They couldn’t stop the torture, or the reactor in his chest, but they were there to help him through the depression and the nightmares. He talked to them about the suit, about making another one, about making a difference. They were there when Tony stood up and declared he was Iron Man.

They still had a hand in SHIELD. They’d helped recruit Fury, Coulson and Hill. They were in on the events in New Mexico, but were busy in China when everything went down. Steve was very uneasy about any research that went on involving the cube, now called the Tesseract. He’d wanted it to stay at the bottom of the ocean, but Howard had insisted on trying to recover it, along with all the other HYDRA tech that had gone down with the plane.

When New York legalized gay marriage, Steve and Bucky were among the first in line. Tony and a much older but still spry Peggy stood up for them.

“I told you this would happen for you one day,” she said, pressing a kiss to Steve’s cheek.

“You did, Peg, you did. Thank you for being here for us,” Steve said.

“Oh, of course. I certainly wasn’t going to miss the two of you making it official,” she laughed.

Bucky kissed her heartily. “Save me a dance, Carter? I think we could show the Mister a thing or two.”

“A jitterbug or a jive?” she asked with a wink.

Bucky laughed, pushing the doors of the courthouse open and grabbing Steve for a kiss when the crowd cheered. The picture snapped by the official Stark Enterprises photographer sold to People magazine for several millions (all of which was donated to LGBTQIA+ charities). Steve and Bucky went on air several times, together and separately to talk about their so-called epic romance.

They helped put together the Avengers, who were more than a team by the time the Chitauri invaded. Steve watched gratefully as Thor took the Tesseract back to Asgard. Bucky stood next to him, holding his hand and pressing kisses to his wings. They helped Natasha and Clint mourn the loss of Phil. Steve lovingly recalled a young Agent Coulson stammering his way through an introduction to himself and Bucky and asking for them to sign his trading cards.

A year or so later, Bucky finally got his first grey hair. Steve may have stifled a laugh. He wasn’t laughing much when he got his first one the next year. Through it all they were happy, loving and together. Bucky would curl in front of Steve at night, Steve’s wings folded over them both as they gave thanks to Abraham Erskine.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened when they stayed on the plane

“I don’t know, Buck,” Steve said, watching as the ocean got closer and closer. “I have no idea where we are, or even if there is land close by.”

“Go on, punk. Get outta here. We left the door open, you can fly out of here,” Bucky said, looking grimly at the console.

Steve gaped. “Are you kidding me? All of that yelling about going off and doing things just because I have wings and now you want me to leave you here to die?!? What the fuck are _you_ thinking?”

“I’m thinking you get to live, maybe find Carter, have a family. One of us should have that, Stevie.”

“Buck…” Steve sighed. “No, I’m staying. We said we were together until the end of the line. I meant it. Did you?”

“Course I did, Stevie. I… why would you stay?” he asked.

“Love you, Buck. Know you love me, too. ‘Sides, I think Schmidt got one of my wings,” he turned so Bucky could see the torn and bloody feathers on the right side.

“Christ, Steve, why didn’t you say?” Bucky reached for the wing, stroking it softly.

“Come on, let’s get down under the console, maybe we can survive the crash long enough to be rescued,” Steve replied, ignoring Bucky’s worried look.

They huddled under the console, Steve using his wings to surround Bucky. They closed their eyes as the plane plunged beneath the icy waters. When the cold of the sea hit them, they shivered in each other’s arms. Bucky’s teeth chattered. Steve’s wings ached. Too soon the dark of night descended and Steve’s feathers began to ice over.

“Steve?”

“Yeah, Buck?”

“Never thought the end of the line would be so cold.”

“Me either, Buck.”

A few hours later and Steve couldn’t get Bucky to talk. Bucky’s breathing was shallow. Steve heard a rattle in his own lungs, one that was too damn familiar. He was ready to meet God, to answer for any and all of his sins. He would not regret loving Bucky. Never.

The sounds of a baseball game filtered into his brain. Steve drifted towards consciousness slowly but surely. Where ever he was, it was dry and warm. He could feel the sun on his skin. He blinked. He knew this game. Bucky. Where was Bucky?

Steve sat straight up and looked around. There was another bed in the room and Bucky was lying in it, still sleeping. Steve was up and out of his own bed instantly. He registered briefly that his injured wing was okay. He sat on the edge of Bucky’s bed, watching him sleep.

“Hey, not so dead,” Bucky mumbled as he opened his eyes.

Steve laughed. “No, guess not. You’re gonna hafta put up with me for a little while longer, Buck.”

“Anytime, Stevie.” Steve smiled and leaned down to kiss Bucky. Bucky wound a hand around Steve’s neck, pulling him closer. His other hand trailed along the edges of his wing. “All healed.”

“Yeah.”

Then Bucky seemed to register the sounds of the game. “Weren’t we at that game?” he asked.

“I think we were,” Steve answered, helping Bucky sit up, ready to help him out of the bed.

They were both tense when the door to the room opened and a large black man wearing a long trench coat and an eye-patch swept in. He took them both in, his one good eye widening slightly at Steve’s wings.

“Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes. Sorry for any confusion. I’m Nicholas Fury, Director of SHIELD. Welcome to the twenty-first century.”

Steve and Bucky were quickly whisked away to an office, cold and sterile. There they learned that they had been frozen in ice for seventy years, give or take. Then they were told about the Tesseract. They looked at each other and knew there was going to be trouble down the line. They met Howard’s son, Tony, who was nothing like his father in personality, but made up for it in the mad genius department.

They went through files, learning the fates of all their friends. Every single one of them dead, save Peggy, who was not herself. They both went to visit her, and all three of them cried. Before they could really catch their breath, the Chitauri invasion happened. They became a part of the Avengers, helping to save the city of their birth.

The press went wild over the discovery that Captain America and his best friend were alive and well. They went wilder when footage aired of Steve flying through the sky, picking off Chitauri. It took a hastily put together press conference held by Pepper Potts to uncover the secrets that had been kept out of public record in regards to Project Rebirth.

When it was all over, they refused Tony’s offer to stay in his Tower. Instead they found a walk-up in Brooklyn, not too far from where they had originally lived. They acclimated pretty quickly. Steve started supporting the local art scene. Bucky held self-defense classes for smaller kids in the neighborhood. They both became champions of the LGBTQIA+ movement.

When they found out they could get married, they immediately applied for a license. They did nothing to stop the free-for-all paparazzi and press horde that was there when they exited City Hall. And while conservatives railed at the fact that their Great American Hero was queer, Steve and Bucky made frequent appearances on the Daily Show and Colbert Report. It was more fun than they had had in years.

They were stunned to find out that HYDRA was still alive and well and hiding in the ranks of SHIELD. Steve couldn’t believe that Howard or Peggy would let it happen. Bucky had to remind him that HYDRA was sneaky, like all bad guys were. They took every single cell down. It took them more than three years to do it, but it was worth every drop of blood and sweat.

Now they mentor all kinds of kids. Small, different, gay, straight, trans, asexual, pansexual, mutant, it didn’t matter. They put their vast back pay into building safe havens all around the country for kids who needed a safe space to be. They were role models for children, and adults, around the world. They turned down the offer of a Nobel peace prize.

They spent many years saving the world. Though they did travel some, finally getting to see all the sights they never could appreciate while they were at war. But they always came home to Brooklyn, to live peacefully in the neighborhood of their youth. And they still live there today, if you want to drop by and say hello.

**Author's Note:**

> Not a cliffhanger!
> 
> If you want to know what happens if they get off the plane, go to chapter two.
> 
> If you want to know what happens if they stay on the plane, go to chapter three.


End file.
